I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made – Chapter 126

“……Suddenly came at this hour, huh?”

Clomp.

In the late night, the Emperor paced around his bedroom, having received an urgent report just as he was about to go to bed.

It was reported that Namgoong Min, who hadn’t shown up during Chuseok, had suddenly come to the Daehan Empire alone with the Crown Princess.

The target was caught in a trap, yet the Emperor only frowned.

“……The predictions were off.”

That ‘entity’ had never whispered a false future.

Thanks to that, he had wielded such imperial power that he could even suppress the parliament in a constitutional monarchy.

Therefore, the Emperor and ‘that entity’ had been using each other, even if their meeting circumstances were not ideal.

‘That entity’ whispered the future to the Emperor.

And at times, the Emperor resolved matters that ‘that entity’ desired.

It was a favorable trade, and a trustworthy one.

However.

“In the end, the fortuneteller…… did not come during Chuseok.”

The future whispered by that entity had been wrong.

Coincidentally, it was also the day the Crown Prince declared war, which he had briefly forgotten, but it was quite a serious issue that the predictions had been wrong.

It didn’t merely end with being incorrect; he would start to doubt future predictions as well.

So far, ‘that entity’ had not contacted him since Chuseok, leaving him to ponder alone.

Still, the fortuneteller did come to the Daehan Empire, so perhaps he should just overlook it.

One miss was too useful of a trade with ‘that entity’ to discard.

Most importantly, if he cut off the predictions now, his wife would…

[Your Majesty, it is I.]

“……Ah, it’s you.”

Sizzle.

The Emperor, who had been pacing back and forth anxiously, sat at his desk and tapped on a communication artifact.

Inside the bedroom protected by dozens of artifacts, the only communication artifact that could be used.

Moreover, only three people held a direct connection to this artifact.

The captain of the Shadows, <The Mediator>, and <The Oppressor>.

Of those, the captain of the Shadows, who had been assigned to deal with the fortuneteller, spoke in a respectful tone.

[Target confirmed. I have completed the engraving with my skills, so I will be able to find them no matter where they go.]

“……Tracking is important, but if we cut off their breath, we wouldn’t need to worry. Act swiftly.”

[………..]

“……Is something wrong?”

The captain of the Shadows was a person who drew a clear line between work and personal matters.

His lack of immediate response only meant there was a significant variable present.

[The target is a bit…… unusual.]

“Unusual?”

[Wearing flashy clothes like a shaman, treating the Crown Princess like a servant, suddenly expressing faith in a deity and contacting one of the Shadows.]

“……I have many questions, but first, you said they contacted one of the Shadows?”

[It was a Shadow in disguise as an airport employee. According to our investigation, the target has no detection skills, so it seems to be a coincidence.]

“Then…… what did the Crown Princess do?”

[……The Crown Princess is bowing to the target in reverence. Following closely behind like a maid or servant.]

“…………….”

[……Your Majesty?]

“……For now, for now, complete your objective. No matter what that person did to the Crown Princess, it will be resolved once they are dead.”

[Understood. “Captain! The deity keeps whispering about the future, what should we do?” Quiet down, I’m in contact with the Emperor right now. I apologize, Your Majesty. Targeting will commence──]

“──Wait, hold on.”

[Your Majesty?]

A deity? Whispering about the future?

……Could it be?

“Is that fortuneteller blabbering about being a deity or having divine revelations?”

[That is correct. They claim to be an avatar of the deity, saying they received orders from the deity, that they can see the future…….]

“………….”

[Your Majesty, please tell me what to do.]

“……Cancel the existing orders. Bring the target and the Crown Princess to the Royal Palace. Just to be safe, do it without causing any injuries and guide them naturally.”

[Understood.]

Click.

“………….”

What if.

What if that sudden thought was correct.

If ‘that entity’ had grabbed the fortuneteller’s hand while being the Emperor…

……What should he do?

“………My love.”

Indeed, I need you.

Today, I miss you even more…

*

“Sister, should we go this way?”

“Ah, um, yes.”

“So that’s what we shall do. Let’s go, Kim Eun-ha.”

“……Yes, Master.”

What is this?

What in the world is happening right now?

The Shadow, who had suddenly found himself trailing a cultist and the Crown Princess, muttered an endless string of curses in his heart.

As a direct subordinate of the Emperor, undergoing training to withstand torture or pain had been routine, but this fresh new kind of suffering was something he had never experienced before.

Just watching made his head throb!

“Um, Master?”

“If you are referring to the descendant of the deity, the present divine being, the savior descended to the mortal realm, and the guide of everything, then that would be me.”

“Is that…… so? But why are you being called Master?”

“The ‘do’ of a master (道) is a path, and ‘sa’ (師) is a teacher. So, I am also referred to as ‘Master’ because I am meant to guide folks like you.”

No, isn’t ‘master’ a different character?

Are you a ‘do’ master or a ‘do’ teacher?

As the Shadow tried to maintain a poker face while gritting their teeth, Namgoong Min, who was leading the way through the empty night streets near the airport, suddenly turned to look back.

“By the way, I’m glad my sister is an awake person. Generally, ignorant folks don’t realize the depth of their ignorance and don’t accept my salvation.”

“Haha, right?”

If this hadn’t been a sudden mission change, I would’ve killed you, you little brat.

The Shadow briefly toyed with the dagger hidden in their waist and smiled.

‘Guard duty instead of assassination? Not to mention, leading them to the Royal Palace?’

As a Shadow, he knew questioning orders wasn’t allowed.

However, when contradictory orders were given, it was reasonable to be suspicious, right?

Especially now with the situation where even the Emperor’s ‘prediction’ being wrong.

‘If I sneak away to protest to the Captain, nothing will change…’

In fact, he had run off saying he needed to use the restroom, but it was creepy how easily the others had found him.

It’s a good thing he didn’t say anything; he would have been in trouble if pressed.

‘Acting sharp doesn’t really suit this rookie.’

While the other Shadows kept their distance, monitoring the target and the Crown Princess, the Shadow who had been left with the mess maintained a professional, unreadable expression.

“By the way, Master, where will we go next?”

“Since we have arrived in the Daehan Empire, we should tour the suitable landmarks.”

“That sounds good.”

Landmarks, huh.

Then naturally guiding them to the Royal Palace would be difficult.

For now, he would just play along and see for an opportunity—

“How about we start with Namsan…?”

“──When talking about landmarks, it’s naturally the Royal Palace, isn’t it? Right?”

“…Huh?”

“The bus to the Royal Palace is right over there, so let’s take that. Come on, Eun-ha.”

“Yes….”

Namgoong Min and the Crown Princess walked toward the bus that read ‘To the Royal Palace.’

Of course, there was no way that such a bus would be running at this late hour. But just in case, it was a bus prepared by the Shadows.

How could they possibly get on a bus prepared so conveniently without any suspicion?

‘Isn’t their head in the clouds?’

……No. Trying to guess the cultist’s thoughts would just be a setback for them.

What on earth does the Crown Princess see in this guy for her to follow him so faithfully?

Clunk.

The bus, which had taken the cultist and the Crown Princess aboard, predictably had no other passengers.

The Shadows sighed internally as the cultist deliberately sat in the back of the wide bus, taking the seat next to him.

For now, he had to sincerely pretend to follow this young man.

It was troubling that the Crown Princess sat a bit too far away, but… honestly, sitting next to such a young cultist required quite a bit of courage.

Dressed in a vibrant and ornate hanbok, with a red hat adorned with feathers.

The fortuneteller, typically the kind of person one would think of, radiated an aura that kept others at bay.

Nevertheless, unlike the usual shamans, he had a fairly handsome face, smiling enough to elicit some degree of fondness in those who saw him.

‘But he’s still a cultist.’

No matter how handsome a man is, if he asks, ‘Do you know the way?’, it’s only normal to feel one’s interest plummet.

With such absurd thoughts in mind, they nonchalantly engaged in the conversation to some casual remarks for a few minutes.

The bus, which had departed long ago, entered a tunnel, drawing the attention of the Shadows monitoring it.

Suddenly, the cultist began speaking in a serious tone.

“Sister, do you believe in fortune-telling?”

“……Of course, if it’s coming from you, Master, haha.”

“You don’t believe it at all.”

“W-well, is that so?”

“Indeed, I can see everything. Since this place seems a bit off, how about we discuss it in a more atmospheric location?”

……What? Are you trying to charm me right now?

The Shadow hardened for a moment at the cultist’s picking-up lines.

At that moment, the cultist snapped his fingers.

Snap!

In the darkness of the tunnel.

Clearly, the bus had been lit up by lamps…

“…….Huh?”

In an instant, the Shadow found themselves in an unknown space.

Black curtains surrounded them, and purple light flickered.

Urgently looking around, they noticed skulls and glowing tarot cards were decorated everywhere.

And when they looked ahead—

“What’s wrong? Sister.”

“T-this is….”

The same way the cultist dressed as a shaman sat across from them, smiling.

It was clearly the same smile from before, yet it now felt somewhat eerie due to the setting.

‘What the hell is this? An artifact? No, if so, he couldn’t evade the Captain’s eyes. Then…… is it a skill?’

A skill that creates a new space.

Although such reports are incredibly rare, the existence of such a skill is still acknowledged.

The problem was that there had been no information suggesting that this cultist possessed such a skill.

However, suppressing her agitation as much as possible, the Shadow sat down in front of him.

“Sister, you seem troubled.”

“Do I look that way?”

“Of course, you’ve been worried. You must be under strain because your sick younger sibling is at home and you still came to work.”

“……Huh?”

──What the hell.

How do you know that?

“What do you mean by that…….”

“The illnesses contracted in the Gate are mostly beyond modern medicine to heal. At best, only life support is available, which must be heart-wrenching for a family member.”

“………”

How in the world does he know that…?

The moment she became a Shadow, her records were annihilated in the Daehan Empire. This meant she had become a puppet, thoroughly loyal only to the Emperor without human rights.

On the other hand, her family received the highest level of care.

She had become a Shadow so that her family would receive protection in exchange for entering the Gate after becoming ill for an unknown reason.

It’s obvious this information about her family, which could be seen as the Shadow’s Achilles’ heel, should only be checked by the Emperor.

“Mm? You seem quite surprised.”

“……Ah? Did I seem that way?”

In such a state of profound shock, her expression management completely fell apart.

It was only natural.

At this very moment, the Shadow felt fear of the cultist in front of her.

If he knew information about her family, the possibility of him threatening her through them loomed large.

However, this could all be a bluff.

Trying to regain her composure, the Shadow finally spoke.

“After all, you are indeed a Master. I work at the airport, so….”

“What do you mean, you work at the airport?”

“Huh?”

“You are indeed a Shadow working in the darkness, so I am aware that you are suspicious of me, but your lie is so blatantly obvious that it’s almost stale.”

“………!!”

If he knows about Shadows, then he must also know about their family.

As for that opponent, he has been trained to recognize one of two possibilities.

Either it’s the Emperor himself who knows everything——

‘This is insane!’

——or it’s an agent who has been delegated complete authority by the Emperor.

Realizing the situation swiftly, the Shadow rose in a panic and bowed deeply.

“The lowly Shadow has committed an offense against the Emperor’s proxy!”

“……No, it’s fine. What you have done is a natural occurrence. Now, please sit.”

“You don’t have to speak so formally!”

“It’s a habit from my work. Do you wish to lecture me?”

“Absolutely not!”

The agent seemed slightly offended by this statement, so the Shadow quickly raised their head and sat down.

Of course, they maintained a polite posture at all times.

“But you’ve been trained well. I’m sure the Emperor will be pleased.”

“It is an honor!”

“You’ve likely figured out that this current mission is a ruse.”

“Is that so……!”

Surprisingly enough, why hadn’t she figured it out earlier?

Common sense dictated that the Emperor’s predictions ought not to be wrong, so he used a fake only to test them.

‘In a situation where the prediction had gone awry, and the target arrived late? Plus, the sudden change in mission.’

Clearly, he sought to observe the Shadows’ responses amid such variables.

Even outright hints about the fortuneteller treating the Crown Princess like a servant had been left to them, and they hadn’t even considered the faintest possibility.

‘If it’s not the Emperor’s proxy, there’s no way anyone could treat the Crown Princess like that.’

Even though she hadn’t detected that this was a test, it seemed like she had committed no major blunders, so perhaps she would get a decent score.

Seeing the agent’s friendly tone, it appeared that she had managed to handle the situation safely.

“Where are the other Shadows and the Captain right now?”

“Yes! Including myself, all 13 Shadows are monitoring the bus from a distance! The Captain is in disguise as the bus driver and piloting it right now!”

“What about contingency plans for sudden circumstances?”

“First, I will take the lead, and other Shadows will snipe from a distance! The Captain will launch a surprise attack afterward, which is our standard protocol!”

“Hmm…… and the Crown Princess’s safety?”

“Yes? W-well….”

There hadn’t been any specific plans set in advance since the assumption was that the target would not be coming along.

More importantly, the Crown Princess, Kim Eun-ha, was so overwhelmingly stronger that there wouldn’t be any particular concern for her safety.

Yet saying that out loud would definitely land them in hot water…

“Haha, just kidding. Even if we all attacked, a single punch from the Crown Princess would send us all flying.”

“Y-yes, that’s right?”

“Of course. Still, being part of the royal family, it seems reasonable to have at least a minimal security detail.”

“I apologize!”

“You have nothing to apologize for. If anything happens, you’ll be in charge of the Crown Princess’s safety.”

“…Huh? W-what might happen?”

“That’s just a hypothetical. For example, if the bus were to overturn suddenly, would you protect the Crown Princess or yourself?”

“Ah, I apologize!”

“Just take care. Moreover, recently… that person has been in a bad mood.”

“That person you’re referring to…?”

“The <Oppressor>, the commissioner. I belong to that faction. Given the current turmoil within the royal family, he is quite concerned about the Emperor’s safety, which is why I was dispatched.”

“Ah, understood!”

“Especially, do not approach the Crown Princess’s palace. Not even for a detonation or tremor. My words… do you understand?”

“Of course!”

Even if the Crown Princess’s palace was merely named thus and the Crown Princess didn’t reside there, it was still governed by seven ministers.

Naturally, it was the gathering place for the Crown Prince’s faction, and if there was to be any conflict, whether political or physical, it would likely occur there.

‘Absolutely don’t interfere.’

Typically, Shadows avoid political matters, but the current royal family was in a sensitive situation with the Emperor and the Crown Prince openly opposed to each other.

If they weren’t careful, even Shadows could be sacrificed or face a purge at the hands of the Crown Prince’s faction.

‘I absolutely must report to the Captain.’

Particularly since the Captain loathed political struggle, he would take care of it well.

The Shadow bowed deeply numerous times to the agent who had provided such valuable information.

“Thank you for your priceless advice!”

“Don’t mention it. As a fellow servant of the same master, helping each other like this is nothing much. Shall we head back to the bus? Please continue to act well until the end.”

“Yes!”